LIGHTER MOMENT — Fairmont track & field mentor Bob Bonk (left) shares a laugh with Cardinal assistant coach Stew Murfield at a meet during the 2022 campaign. Bonk, who retired after nearly a half of a century of coaching the Cardinals’ track program last spring, has been selected as the Sentinel Relays’ honorary referee for Friday’s 4 p.m. elite meet in Fairmont. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — “I’ve forgotten more than you’ll ever know.” — Bob Dylan, Minnesota native, singer/songwriter and poet.

When it comes to another well-known Bob — Bonk, that is — from southern Minnesota, Dylan’s quote could be modestly modified to, “Coach Bonk has forgotten more than anyone will ever know about the Sentinel Relays track & field meet.”

In true Bonk statistical style, the legendary Fairmont Cardinal track & field and cross country coach who retired after the 2021-22 athletic year has been an integral part of the longest-running outstate regular-season elite meet for 77.6 percent of its first 67 years.

Not only has Bonk served for nearly a half of a century — 49 seasons to be exact — as one of the main working cogs behind the annual 32-team competition held each first Friday in May, he also competed in the Relays for three years as a member of the Blue Earth High School track & field program.

Needless to say, Bonk is a living, walking and talking history book when it comes to just about any and all facts and figures relating to former Sentinel sports editor Lyle Domek’s original invitational created in 1955.

Ironically, even the paved running surface at the Fairmont High School athletic complex is named in honor of the member of four Hall of Fames — the Minnesota High School Coaches Association, the Minnesota High School Track & Field Coaches Association, the Fairmont Athletic Hall of Fame and the Minnesota High School Cross Country Coaches Association.

Now, less than a year after he stepped away from the Cardinals’ track & field helm, the Sentinel Relays’ organizers have selected Bonk as the honorary referee for Friday’s 68th running of the annual extravaganza.

“I figured since I wasn’t coaching anymore, I’d probably have to pay to watch it,” a grinning Bonk said jokingly. “No, honestly, I feel truly honored to be selected as this year’s Relays’ special guest.

“There have been numerous outstanding coaches, athletes and contributors who have been recognized by the Relays, and now I get to join that esteemed group.”

In reflecting upon the rich history of the Sentinel Relays, Bonk made a reference to one of his predecessors to merit his most recent moniker. Bonk gave high praise to Fairmont Hall of Fame member and 1983 Sentinel Relays honorary referee Judy Lohrenz for her valuable contributions in forming the foundation for girls athletics in Fairmont.

“I did my research and discovered a number of interesting facts,” said Bonk, whose Cardinal girls track & field program captured 27 Sentinel Relays team championships while his boys lineups garnered 22 team crowns at the elite meet. “The Sentinel Relays started out as a boys-only competition in 1955, but when the Minnesota State High School League finally integrated girls sports in the early 1970s, the first girls meet at the Sentinel Relays was separate from the boys’ event.

“The girls initially competed on Friday before the boys took to the track on Saturday. If it hadn’t been for Judy Lohrenz’s hard work and dedication in promoting girls athletics, it may have taken a lot longer to create a co-ed format like it is today.”

While female athletes literally were making strides in the Sentinel Relays’ record books in the 1970s, the 1980s proved a decade of school consolidations throughout south-central and southwestern Minnesota to once again reshape Lyle Domek’s vision of great competition.

“The 1980s were a real period of change and the Relays were not immune to it,” said Bonk. “Most schools used to have separate coaching staffs for track, but in order to be more efficient for practice, they began having just one coach for both programs.”

The consolidations eventually forced the Sentinel Relays to modify its three-class, two-day format to one competitive day comprised of two divisions based on enrollment in the early 1990s.

“Even though we had less teams, we probably had twice as many small towns throughout southern Minnesota involved in the Relays,” said Bonk. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback through the years and the event is one a lot of the smaller schools mark on their calendars and look forward to competing in each and every year.”

Bonk reflected upon how the Sentinel Relays during his tenure have been fortunate to draw a Minneapolis-based team — North, Edison and currently South — in addition to attracting some of the elite programs from northern Iowa, such as Spencer, North Iowa, Spirit Lake and North Union.

“It was great to compete against highly-skilled teams we didn’t face during the regular season or sections to get us prepared for the stretch run to state,” said Bonk. “The better the competition, the more it helped our athletes to excel and attain the next level, with some establishing new personal-bests and/or Sentinel Relays records that have stood the test of time.”

While Bonk has watched too numerous of top-notch athletes cross the finish line at the Fairmont High School campus to select a favorite, one athlete still readily comes to the forefront of his memories when reminiscing about the Relays.

“Heather Van Norman — she was incredible,” Bonk said in reference to the Windom High School graduate who went on to become a six-time All-American sprinter at LSU from 1989-95 and is currently the head track & field coach at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. “Her 57-second flat time in the 400 (meter dash) that she set in 1985 at the Sentinel Relays may never be broken.

“I’m old school enough that I remember her for single-handedly winning the (MSHSL) state championship in the 1980s, while the younger crowd today only know her as the mother of (NFL All-Pro receiver) Odell Beckham Jr.,” added Bonk with a chuckle.

While the annual May event continues to be known for its athletic excellence, the other factor that the Sentinel Relays have become synonymous with is …

“You can’t talk about the meet without weather being a potential factor,” said Bonk. “Ironically, the Relays have been cancelled due to lightning, snow, a tornado and the Covid-19 virus, but Minnesotans are tough and keep coming back every year with hopes of great outcomes.”

On Friday, it seems only fitting that the Sentinel Relays will continue its own rich tradition by having Bob Bonk return to his rightful place — near the finish line — where his coaching legacy began.